NPC 3/1/13 Feautured Presentation: Museum of VIrtual Media

Posted Tue, 03/05/2013 - 23:36 by Rhiannon Chatnoir

Below is an edited transcript of the 3/1/13 NonProfit Commons in Second Life meeting, featuring Aliza Sherman (Cybergrrl Oh) who discussed innovative and compelling ways to use QR codes as an effective marketing tool when used thoughtfully and integrated carefully into a campaign.

Today for our featured presentation we have Liz Dorland (Chimera Cosmos) and Adriana Sanchez (AdrianneLexico) who will be discussing the theory and process behind the creation of the "Museum of Virtual Media", a Second Life sim built collaboratively by their University of Washington class in the spring of 2012.

The museum is inspired by "Infinite Reality", a book on virtual worlds technology and education written by Jim Blascovich and Jeremy Bailenson and takes participants through the evolution of media from ancient cave paintings into the future.

• https://www.facebook.com/MuseumOfVirtualMedia

• SLURL: UW iSchool (111,128,43)

Adriana Sanchez (AdrianneLexico in SL) holds a Certificate in Virtual Worlds from the University of Washington. She has been an EduNation Resident since 2010. She works at The Digital Trainer. Over 20 years' experience teaching English and Spanish for Specific Purposes to adults in multinational companies. Currently training educators on the use of web 2.0 tools, social networks and 3D virtual environments to enhance task-based learning. As an E.learning and Virtual Worlds Specialist, developing instructional and multimedia materials for online courses and providing consultation on how to integrate LMS and 3DVLE for distance education.

Liz Dorland (Chimera Cosmos in SL) is currently the Communications Director for the Photosynthetic Antenna Research Center based at Washington University. Prior to moving to St. Louis in 2006, she taught general and organic chemistry for over 35 years, including 21 years in the Maricopa County Community College District in Arizona. She reviews frequently for the National Science Foundation and was a program officer in the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education, Directorate of Education and Human Resources (2003-2004). Areas of expertise include immersive virtual environments, social media, faculty use of technology, and research-based applications of visualization and history/philosophy of science in teaching. In July 2011, Liz was co-chair of the Gordon Research Conference on Visualization in Science and Education and is currently working with that community to produce an online report on lessons learned and recommendations for future research on visualization and learning.

Let's welcome Chimera and Adrianne up, please take a seat and start whenever you are ready.

Chimera Cosmos: Thanks Rhiannon. Come on down Adrianne!I just realized I've never actually presented totally in text in SL!Thanks for coming everyone. Adri and I worked together on the slides and will be trading off.

UW Museum of Virtual Media

Liz Dorland (Chimera Cosmos)

Adriana Sanchez (AdrianneLexico)

UW 2012 Class Mentors

This is a high-up view of the Museum of Virtual Media

Randy Hinrichs – professor

Sicily Zapatero – mentor

Stylianos Ling – mentor

Vex Streeter – Scripting mentor

UW Class of 2012

Adrianne and I were part of the class of 2012, as you can see.

Students from four countries - avatar photos

The Museum of Virtual Media is a whole-sim project created by students from the UW Virtual Worlds Certificate Program Class of 2012.Chimera and Adriana are graduates of that class. Today we will tell you about the theory behind the museum, and the nature of our collaborative building process. Afterwards, those of you who are interested can come along with us for a tour.

The UW Virtual Worlds certificate class of 2012 met for 3 quarters in Second Life. Our 3rd quarter project was to construct the Museum of Virtual Media, based on the research and writings of Jim Blascovich (UC Santa Barbara) and Jeremy Bailenson (Stanford University).

UW Virtual Worlds Class - 3D Model of the MVM

The class is taught by Randy Hinrichs. Past TAs (and graduates of the program) include well known avatars Zinnia Zauber, StylanosMistakidis, and Sicily Zapatero.

Here we are (Randy and Chimera) at the after-graduation tour for friends and families.This was in May of 2012, and we are on the landing point of the MVM.After completing small group projects in the 2nd quarter, teams formed and chose sections of the MVM to design and build.

The museum is multi-level with both ground and sky exhibits.The 3D model of the MVM sim was created before we started building to illustrate the spatial arrangement of the exhibits on multiple levels. You can still view it at the Landing Area.

Infinite Reality – the book that inspired the MVM. Blascovich & Bailenson do research on the effects of immersive experiences. Their book postulates a “Museum of Virtual Media” that would cover the history of immersive media since the beginning of human time. The MVM is partly based on their description. Jim and Jeremy toured our MVM and made suggestions during the building process.

Rhiannon Chatnoir: great that you got them to tour your build/ideas

Chimera Cosmos: Yes it was great. They were talking about whether they could use it for publicity.

Note the various images and ideas that “Infinite Reality” suggests, including the aging of Mark Zukerberg and other fantasies. Adriana will explore this further towards the end or our presentation.What does it all mean? Adrianne will discuss further at the end of the talk.

A Museum of Virtual Media – Exhibits described in “Infinite Reality”

Storytelling

Graphics

Sculpture

Theater

Manuscripts

Printing / Movable Type

Photography

Cinematography

Electricity

Broadcast Media

Computers & the Internet

The MVM Landing Area

Start here to find information about what is available at the MVM. Adrianne will discuss different modes for touring and discovering later on.

Collaboration Process - Leela’s Resource Platform

Yes, we divided up the topics.A daunting challenge!Leela Thoreau was elected to be our overall project manager. Leela constructed a platform with shared resourses: structural components, textures, signs, etc.

Storytelling (Zorreau Laviscu)

Zorreau’s Storytellling exhibit area is in the sky above the MVM, and is still under construction.The museum is still evolving, and we hope folks will continue to come back to visit.

Graphics (Cooper Swizzle)

Cooper and Merlin chose the Caves of Lascaux to illustrate early immersive use of graphic images by prehistoric groups. Merlin created a time machine simulation for the entrance.

Egyptian Cats & Easter Island Heads Sculpture: (Leela Thoreau)

Leela constructed multiple areas around the MVM with sculpture from different cultures, including a “create a sculpture” activity.

Sculpture from Easter Island - Photos anyone?

Leela and Nany designed much of the overall landscape of the sim, including plant selection.

I love the job they did in picking out the trees and such. And a lot of you know how I love to take SL photos. :-)

The MVM is a great place for SL photography.

Theater (Tapio Ceriano & Leela Thoreau)

The Greek Theater is a space intended for meetings, plays, and other entertainment events can be held for the SL general public.

MVM Tour for UW Class of 2013

Manuscripts, Printing & Moveable Type (Nany Kayo)

Nany’s exhibit is a maze made up of book covers and objects that represent the early days of printing. Look for the model of Gutenberg’s printing press.

The new UW Class of 2013 toured the Museum with us recently. Here we are in the Greek Theater.

Photography & the Camera Obscura (Ryland Bledsoe & Chimera Cosmos)

The Camera Obuscura was my 2nd quarter project, and it got carried over into the final build

The Camera Obscura was an early form of immersive visualization. The image is generated with mirrors that reflect an outside scene,and can be viewed on a round pedestal by groups of participants.

Cinematography - (Chimera Cosmos)

Motion Pictures evolved from earlier immersive visual experiences: the Camera Obscura, Magic Lantern shows, the Zoetrope, the Mutoscope, and other early efforts at animation.

Adrianne made these picture slides. She is a whiz at slide design. ;-)with our little avatar portraits

The exhibits include the work of Muybridge (Zoopraxiscope), the Lumiere Brothers (upper theater), George Melies (lower theater), and Thomas Edison.

Cinematography Exhibit Areas

The Lumiere theater shows one of the earliest films shown in public, L’arrive d’un train…and the unfamiliar apparition apparently frightened patrons and sent some screaming from the theater.

Watch out for the dangerous train inside the theater.Other exhibits include the Zoopraxiscope and some of the earliest stop-motion animation by George Melies.

Electricity - (Magnus Andersen)

Watch out for lightning, and don’t fall down from the sky! The Electricity exhibit is constructed on several transparent platforms. Learn about some of the giants in the early experiments with electricity.

Fly up to see the exhibits in the sky on the Raven tour (with chat commentary), or teleport from any of the other exhibits.

Broadcast Media: Radio (Suzician Lewis)

The Radio and TV stations contain a number of role-playing activities where groups can participate together. The tour activities for the UW Class of 2013 included group assignments for photos to be taken of the participants.

Broadcast Media: Television

The TV station has props for group role-play in a news broadcast studio.

Coming to the beach and Hollywood film set behind the radio and TV stations can be a frightening experience if you accidentally touch that shark!

Computers & The Internet (Merlin Moonshadow)

Merlin’s build is a 3-level maze with a futuristic storyline. You will be greeted by some computer techs who will guide you.

MVM Landing Area

The Future & Digital Afterlife (Adrianne Lexico)

Chimera Cosmos: Adrianne is going to take over now and tell you about her exhibit and the concepts behind Infinite Reality

Adrianne Lexico: I designed this exhibit to introduce the concept of digital afterlife media, a rich database of a real person’s biological components, unique and essential personality traits, memories, photos, videos and online documents.

DIGITAL MEDIA OF THE FUTURE

As you can see I have become a fan of Tron!

Exhibit designed to introduce the concept of digital afterlife media, a rich database of a real person’s biological components, unique and essential personality traits, memories, photos, videos and online documents. Scientists are currently working on developing artificial consciousness and intelligence for human-inspired androids. An example of a human inspired android is the case of Bina48.

Concepts like bio files, mind files, artificial intelligence, artificial consciousness may sound weird, thought-provoking, futuristic… This exhibit wants to invite you all to discuss, imagine, exchange ideas on the present and future of media.

We can see that together during our tour...

LANDING POINT: The mission of the Landing Point is the entryway and point of departure for new visitors to the Museum of Virtual Media. It informs new visitors 1) where they are 2) what the museum is about, and 3) how to navigate from the Landing Point to

1) Explore: The museum will include a variety of pathways that will let visitors find their own way through various exhibits, encountering surprises and unexpected serendipitous events along the way.

2) Teleport: The Teleport device consists of a wheel consisting of various exhibit area destination buttons. Visitors can quickly teleport from the Landing Point to these various destinations by clicking on the corresponding buttons.

3) Quest: This section initiates a story experience lead by the Native American transformational guide, Coyote. This mythic character guides visitors through various museum sections via a virtual treasure hunt.

4) Tour: This is a short introduction of all the exhibit areas that uses a flying raven accompanied by text descriptions that moves throughout the museum.

The Landing Point also provides two orientation videos that 1) outline the broad scope of the museum, using the Spoken Word, Written Word, Printed Word, Electronic Word, and Digital Word as a communications metaphors that tie together various eras of comm

Do our brains know where “reality” ends and “virtual” begins?: According to Bailenson and Blascovich, the mind treats virtual people just like physical ones. We can demonstrate that virtual behaviors are real by measuring how people talk, how peo

Gentle Heron: Virtual vs "real" is a spurious dichotomy at best.

Zotarah Shepherd: That virtual is so real to us is one reason why the Matrix movies seemed so believable.

Buffy Beale: true enough

Zinnia Zauber: very

Chimera Cosmos: Those of us who have been in SL understand this better than most

Beth Ghostraven: the real part about SL is the people

Maerian Dagger: in my group we avoid using terms like "RL" we feel they muddy the perception of virtual reality. :-)

Maerian Dagger: so we refer to inworld and outworld distinctions.

Buffy Beale: good point Maerian

Chimera Cosmos: I think RL is so tempting to use because it's short and is so parallel to SL in construction

I only use it with others from SL who I know will know what I mean :-)

Rhiannon Chatnoir: but as the museum suggests, art, theater, storytelling...all forms of another reality really

Adrianne Lexico: I think we have found the ghost. it is someone from Matrix Reloaded

Rhiannon Chatnoir: great, any questions / thoughts so far out there

Chimera Cosmos: yes, please jump in

Lynne (yt.upsilon): How long will the museum be online?

Chimera Cosmos: at least through next May, I think. The Maya sim that the class of 2011 built is still up right next to ours, so you get a 2fer

Zorreau Laviscu: What happens to the Museum after May?

Chimera Cosmos: UW pays for the sims

Zinnia Zauber: I am so proud of you guys! The museum is really amazing and people learn so much from it!

Chimera Cosmos: We will do an abbreviated tour for those who can stay. It would take hours to see it all!

Zotarah Shepherd: I wish such reat education filled builds could stay up for eons, if not in SL then some other grid where people have access.

Buffy Beale: me too Zo

Namaara MacMoragh: (agrees with Zotarah)

Lynne (yt.upsilon): Try Kitely.

[09:30] Maerian Dagger: My group has moved to INworldz. Amazing community, and our nonprofit can afford the tier there for 8 islands. ;)

Chimera Cosmos: It was fun to build, and it's still a work in progress. I am adding interactivity.

Lynne (yt.upsilon): It's Open Sim, but you get a free world and the ability to upload OARs. Time based billing, but 2 hours a month free.

Chimera Cosmos: Quite a few of the assets at the MVM were purchased from other builders.So a lot would not be able to transfer.I love kitely for experimenting.

Rhiannon Chatnoir: but could always reimagine the builds

Maerian Dagger: The museum looks great btw and both of you have very interesting bios! Thanks for your time and the work you do.

Chimera Cosmos: Yes, but none of us are expert builders.

Adrianne Lexico: I was a total newbie!

Chimera Cosmos: And quite a few have other full-time jobs. So it isn't likely.

Thynka Little: I look forward to taking some time to explore it!

Rhiannon Chatnoir: any other questions, before we move to Open Mic and then the tour

Adrianne Lexico: and we can then take you to a tour? Great.- sorry for the inconveniences.

Beth Ghostraven: Will the slides be online?

Chimera Cosmos: I can put them on Slideshareslideshare.com/ldorland

Adrianne Lexico: That was our question for you!Do our brains know where “reality” ends and “virtual” begins?What do you think?yes? no?

Frans Charming: Nope.

Buffy Beale: not once one has been immersed, the feelings are real

Zotarah Shepherd: How do we know we are not in a VR now?

Beth Ghostraven: Buffy, exactly; that's what people forget

Adrianne Lexico: do you agreee with that?Feelings are real, are they? Just opening a discussion here, not giving an answer...

Gentle Heron: Our brains create virtual understanding from sensory messages sent to them by our eyes/ears/etc. So is anything "real"?

Frans Charming: there aren't fake feelings, if you feel it, it is.

Namaara MacMoragh: good point Gentle

Dancers Yao: spirit is real!

Chimera Cosmos: I think we in SL are sensitive to criticism from skeptics who have not experienced virutal reality. They don't understand how "real" it is.

Zorreau Laviscu: I think it's a good idea that we maintain a good relationship with Mother Earth as we begin to inhabit virtual worlds.

Adrianne Lexico: Here we have some pics from movies where reality and virtual worlds co-exist, mix. We are now interacting in a virtual world...what happens with our identity? with the way we physically relate to others?

Stranger Nightfire: I have noticed that doing things like having my avatar float in a pond will have a relaxing effect upon my body in RL

Chimera Cosmos: Yes, I used to sit by the waterfront on Jokaydia late at night and listen to the waves, very relaxing, and I'm totally obsessed with learning how to build the perfect waterfall!

Rhiannon Chatnoir: yes, virtual nature has a certain draw for me too

Maerian Dagger: we have a pool designed for that purpose in our lands that people soak in for healing and charge when feeling good. :-)

Dancers Yao: our dreams are like virtual worlds

Maerian Dagger: sort of a community battery

Gentle Heron: So true, Dancers!

Lynne (yt.upsilon): "To see a world in a grain of sand,

And a heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,

And eternity in an hour."

William Blake

Adrianne Lexico whispers: WOW!That is so deep!

Gentle Heron smiles at Lynne's Blake quote.

Jen (jenelle.levenque): I think among other things that's why "waterfront" property goes for more in SL as well as RL

Rhiannon Chatnoir: nod Jen... interesting

Adrianne Lexico: According to Bailenson and Blascovich, the mind treats virtual people just like physical ones. We can demonstrate that virtual behaviors are real by measuring how people talk, how people emote, how people’s physiology changes and how they make decisions.

In virtual worlds we make use of Proximics which refers to the use of space and types of distance in interaction. There are three different distances: social, personal and intimate. We can also distinguish different aspects of this non-verbal behavior during interaction which includes the way people orient their bodies in conversation, the way they use gestures and eye gestures and eye contact.

Chimera Cosmos: Yes, I always think that those who refuse to try to understand have a lack of imagination in general. Oh yea -- love waterfrontand mountainside with a view

Lynne (yt.upsilon): Great point Jen.

Chimera Cosmos: just like where I would choose to vacation outside

Buffy Beale: location location location

Rhiannon Chatnoir: yes, all my mainland virtual land is either in a themed community, on a mountain, river, etc

Jen (jenelle.levenque): Yes Chimera, a mountain with a view of the ocean

Zinnia Zauber: I adore having a waterfront with my swing set!

Chimera Cosmos: that's what I have on Phobos now!

Dancers Yao: If I do CPR in "real life" the person may or may not live. but in virtual worlds, I can animate them to be alive again with CPR

Zotarah Shepherd: Here we are all watched over by machines of loving grace... (I wish Richard Brautigan had lived to see SL)

Maerian Dagger: not however if the animating outworld person has died. Then if the inworld avi re-animates it must be with another person "at the wheel".

Dancers Yao: I think people need to find new research methods for VW, not just apply the trraditional ones.

Chimera Cosmos: Yes, I did feel that Blascovich & Bailenson were rather noobish in SL for folks who are doing this kind of research. I do respect their work, but thought they could have spent more time acclimating heheh.

Maerian Dagger: yes...substitutions are needed for some interactions and better typists/writers are more successful perhaps at avoiding misunderstandings due to lack of suprasegmental phonemes (sorry for that last). lol

Chimera Cosmos: to be fair, their focus is not SL

Adrianne Lexico: Let´s see how we applied 3D instructional design methodologies of storytelling, gaming & learning archetypes. The museum is a 3D representation of Chapter 2. Hope you enjoy it!

Rhiannon Chatnoir: so we have some time to tour, let's move on to Open Mic, and then we can continue the discussion more informally when we are touring the museum